Light water reactors represent the main pillar of the nuclear electricity production on the planet and it is highly unlikely than any other technology can threaten their primate in the next couple of decades. While Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) represent more than half a century old technology, their developments and optimizations are still going on. Some of these improvements are going on in existing power plants of the so-called Generation II, on the new projects of the Generation III reactors that are being built today, and in the field of the Small (Modular) Reactors that are based on LWR technology and are among the types of SMR's that are the closest to realization.
Technical challenges of the existing LWRs are mainly related to life-time extensions, power uprates, and safety improvements of the plants, which were originally planed for 30 to 40 years of operation with significant safety margins. Generation III reactors, including the LWR based SMRs, are focused on new ideas, that would reduce the complexity of the structures, systems and components, introduce passive safety systems, and related technical solutions that could improve the economic aspect of the LWRs.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Policy and Practice Reviews, Technology and Code, Perspectives, General Commentary, and Opinion types of the articles in the following fields related to the LWR technology:
- LWR fuel developments: From the evolution of the fuel for existing LWRs, to the studies of new core designs. Papers on new fuel materials that might appear in the next decade are welcome: from new uranium compounds that are tested as alternative to uranium oxides, to fuel with above 5% enrichments that will enable longer fuel cycles, to new cladding and grid spacer materials.
- Contributions are invited in the fields of improved and new LWR core instrumentation and criticality control techniques.
- Articles on innovative computational tools to study the LWR reactor behavior under steady-state and transient conditions are welcome. Possible topics are related but not limited to recent advancements in the deterministic and stochastic codes for high fidelity simulations of LWR, the implementation of the multiphysics approach, and the possible role of artificial intelligence.
- Papers on evolution of LWR cooling systems are foreseen: from modifications in the reactor vessels, evolution of pumps and pump performances, pressurizers and steam generators improvements in PWR, or recirculation flow control BWRs. Relevant developments on the balance side of the plants are acceptable too. Similarities and differences introduced in the LWR based SMRs present an acceptable topic.
- Development of safety systems and introduction of new safety systems. Passive vs. active systems of decay heat removal. Possible simplifications or eliminations of the safety systems in small reactors.
- Studies on the new LWR operation practices in normal and accidental conditions including load following strategies in systems with large shares of renewables.
- Modifications of the front end and back end of the LWR fuel cycle. LWR fuel reprocessing. Waste treatment and conditioning.
- Interim and long-term storage and disposal of LWR radioactive waste.
Light water reactors represent the main pillar of the nuclear electricity production on the planet and it is highly unlikely than any other technology can threaten their primate in the next couple of decades. While Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) represent more than half a century old technology, their developments and optimizations are still going on. Some of these improvements are going on in existing power plants of the so-called Generation II, on the new projects of the Generation III reactors that are being built today, and in the field of the Small (Modular) Reactors that are based on LWR technology and are among the types of SMR's that are the closest to realization.
Technical challenges of the existing LWRs are mainly related to life-time extensions, power uprates, and safety improvements of the plants, which were originally planed for 30 to 40 years of operation with significant safety margins. Generation III reactors, including the LWR based SMRs, are focused on new ideas, that would reduce the complexity of the structures, systems and components, introduce passive safety systems, and related technical solutions that could improve the economic aspect of the LWRs.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Policy and Practice Reviews, Technology and Code, Perspectives, General Commentary, and Opinion types of the articles in the following fields related to the LWR technology:
- LWR fuel developments: From the evolution of the fuel for existing LWRs, to the studies of new core designs. Papers on new fuel materials that might appear in the next decade are welcome: from new uranium compounds that are tested as alternative to uranium oxides, to fuel with above 5% enrichments that will enable longer fuel cycles, to new cladding and grid spacer materials.
- Contributions are invited in the fields of improved and new LWR core instrumentation and criticality control techniques.
- Articles on innovative computational tools to study the LWR reactor behavior under steady-state and transient conditions are welcome. Possible topics are related but not limited to recent advancements in the deterministic and stochastic codes for high fidelity simulations of LWR, the implementation of the multiphysics approach, and the possible role of artificial intelligence.
- Papers on evolution of LWR cooling systems are foreseen: from modifications in the reactor vessels, evolution of pumps and pump performances, pressurizers and steam generators improvements in PWR, or recirculation flow control BWRs. Relevant developments on the balance side of the plants are acceptable too. Similarities and differences introduced in the LWR based SMRs present an acceptable topic.
- Development of safety systems and introduction of new safety systems. Passive vs. active systems of decay heat removal. Possible simplifications or eliminations of the safety systems in small reactors.
- Studies on the new LWR operation practices in normal and accidental conditions including load following strategies in systems with large shares of renewables.
- Modifications of the front end and back end of the LWR fuel cycle. LWR fuel reprocessing. Waste treatment and conditioning.
- Interim and long-term storage and disposal of LWR radioactive waste.
